We all know that the bond between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law can be pretty tricky. Some moms just can’t bear the thought of another woman being more important to their “baby boy.” What they fail to realize is that their toxic behavior also adversely affects their precious son.
One woman went online to share how her narcissistic mother-in-law harassed her, and even wore white to the wedding. However, the final straw that broke the camel’s back was when the woman went after the bride’s grieving mom and did something absolutely nasty. Scroll down to uncover the drama that followed!
Narcissists can go to extreme lengths just to get attention and often play the victim card
This woman had the nerve to wear white to her son’s wedding, then she also harassed the bride’s grieving mother
Some women spark a conflict with their son’s spouse because of “jealous, maternal love”
When two people get married, they also inherit each other’s families. Now, it’s not compulsory to bond with these new relatives, but most do. However, when a toxic parent is involved in the equation, connecting with them can be extremely difficult. That’s why we hear so many stories about folks conflicting with a parent-in-law.
Research has found that 60% of women admitted that the relationship with their female in-law caused them long-term unhappiness and stress. Two-thirds of daughters-in-law believed that their husband’s mother frequently exhibited jealous, maternal love towards their son. Also, they can prove to be a handful to deal with if they display narcissistic tendencies.
Therapist Leanna Stockard explains, “Narcissistic mothers-in-law have no sense of boundaries, and therefore violate boundaries on your personal space, decisions, and parenting styles. They are also skilled manipulators and may use guilt, fear, or emotional blackmail to maintain control in a situation or dynamic.”
Dealing with such a person can naturally impact anyone’s mental well-being, especially if their visits don’t have a return date. Moreover, imagine having to deal with all this drama while you are planning a wedding. It clearly spells “disaster.” After all, we know how taxing such a big event can be for the bridal couple.
According to a Zola survey on wedding stress, 96% of couples said that planning their wedding was stressful. Also, 40% of those couples categorized wedding planning as “extremely stressful.” I mean, there’s the financial strain of sticking to the budget and decision fatigue from months of planning. The last thing any couple needs is a family conflict during this time.
When boundaries don’t work, people have to cut ties with relatives for their own mental well-being
Marriage and family therapist Landis Bejar highlights that “bridal couples are coping with a big change in their lives, so grief and fear are also at the core of this process. It’s a life transition for everyone involved, and with life transitions come identity shifts and a sense of loss of who you were before. Meanwhile, all this happens while everyone’s eyes are on you, you’re spending loads of money, and you’re expected to be the happiest you’ve ever been.”
I honestly shudder to think about the amount of stress the author and her husband must have faced because of the mother-in-law. She didn’t just stop at bullying them, but also wore white to the wedding. However, the nastiest bit was her going after the narrator’s grieving mother, who was busy planning a funeral for her late dad.
No matter how old we grow, losing a parent is never easy, and nothing can prepare us for it. In fact, it just moves us a step further up the generational ladder and reminds us that we are a step closer to saying goodbye to this world. Grief is obvious, and no person would be able to bear a toxic relative’s drama during such a harrowing time.
In the story, the mother-in-law didn’t even hesitate to consider what the narrator’s mom must be going through. But again, that’s just the narcissist within her, not caring how her actions affect others. Experts stress that it’s important to cut ties with toxic family members to protect our own mental health.
That’s exactly what the couple did, and I hope they don’t have to deal with the evil woman again. What are your thoughts about the story? Feel free to share them in the comments below. Also, if you want to read about another toxic mother-in-law stealing the bride’s thunder during the wedding, you can check out an older story that we covered.
Netizens chastised the mother-in-law and shared similar stories
